Honey Apple Butter Recipe

12 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (I really like the McIntosh and Gala apples for apple butter because they have a bolder flavor. I do not recommend Red Delicious unless they are locally grown because the flavor is very bland and the texture can be mealy.)
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups white sugar
1 cup honey (locally raised, if possible)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

This Honey Apple Butter Recipe is easy to make and preserve; it’s even easier to eat.

In large pot (like a stockpot), cook apples in water until tender, stirring often to prevent sticking. This usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. Either run cooked apples (do not drain) through a blender, or use a hand mixer and blend apples while still in stockpot.

Next, put all ingredients into large slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover with lid. Cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove lid for last hour to thicken. Don’t stop cooking the apple butter too soon, as the darker it is, the richer the flavor! I like mine to be a rich, dark brown. The butter is done if it remains mounded in a spoon, or if a teaspoon of butter placed on a plate (wait at least a minute) does not have liquid rimmed around the edge.

Pressure can at 7 pounds of pressure for 8 minutes for pints and half-pints, or process in water-bath canner (using sterilized jars) for 20 minutes for pints and half-pints. Yields 8 cups.

Note: Check the instructions with your pressure canner. Many experts say apple butter is high enough in acid that it doesn’t require pressure canning; a water-bath process will suffice. But since no additional acid is added to this recipe, the pressure canner is a safer way to go.